Storage cabinets, fitted with a plurality of drawers, are well known in the art. Such cabinets typically include a frame structure having a number of upstanding walls that extend upwardly from a base or floor. A top is conventionally secured to the upper edges of the upstanding walls to form a substantially box-like structure having an open side in association with a plurality of closed side panels. In a conventional construction, the interior of this box-like structure is fitted with a plurality of ledges or guides that are configured and otherwise positioned to guide one or more laterally displaceable drawers. Each drawer is formed from a laterally extending floor panel and a plurality of upstanding side panels secured proximate the edges of the floor panel.
In a traditional configuration, each drawer includes two parallel side panels and a back panel that is positioned substantially orthogonally to the two side panels. The side and back panels are secured to one another at their upstanding edges to form a generally “U”-shaped structure when viewed from above. A front panel extends between the forward-most vertical edges of the two side panels. The front panel may include a planar face panel and a corresponding planar back face. The planes of the face panel and the back face are typically positioned in a parallel arrangement.
In common constructions, the face panel of the drawer may be fitted with a handle that may be grasped by a user for purposes of applying a horizontally directed force to the drawer and thereby effect a lateral displacement of the drawer outwardly from within the interior of the cabinet interior. The handle may also be used to apply an oppositely directed horizontally directed force to the drawer to return the drawer to its previous location within the cabinet structure.
Many conventional drawer configurations have also included some type of locking mechanism that could be employed by the user to secure the drawer against unauthorized access by third parties.
Cabinets that are utilized in industrial environments are oftentimes subjected to dirt and other contaminants that may foul or otherwise adversely affect the operation of drawer locking mechanisms. There continues to be a need for a drawer locking mechanism that is simple in construction and effectual in precluding the unauthorized access to a drawer by third parties.